A configuration is known from Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2012-102585 (referred to as “Patent Document 1” hereinafter) in which a portable machine of a keyless entry system for a vehicle includes: a drive reservation setting part for setting drive reservation for shifting a door of a vehicle to a closed state or an open state by an operation by a user; a delay time generation part for generating predetermined delay time with the point of time of setting the drive reservation as a reference on the basis of the set drive reservation, and a transmission control part that executes control so as to transmit a control signal for shifting the door of the vehicle to the closed state from a transmission part only for a predetermined transmission period after the lapse of the delay time after the drive reservation is set.
In a configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, shifting the door of the vehicle to the closed state is not performed prior to the lapse of the delay time, even if a user who finishes picking up baggage through the door of the vehicle and thus desires the door of the vehicle to be shifted in closed state prior to the lapse of the delay time. Further, because the door of the vehicle is shifted to the closed state after the lapse of the delay time, the user has to finish picking up the baggage through the door of the vehicle prior to the lapse of the delay time.
Regarding this problem, there may be such a solution, in terms of increasing convenience, that a closing operation of the door by an actuator is started, if reservation information is stored, upon a distance between a portable terminal and the vehicle being greater than or equal to a predetermined distance. According to the solution, the problems that occur in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 can be solved, because the closing operation of the door can be started based on the reservation information upon the distance between the portable terminal and the vehicle being within an appropriate range.
However, according to the solution, once the closing operation of the door is started based on the reservation information, the closing operation of the door is continued afterward regardless of a change in the portable terminal and the vehicle, which leads to the following problems. For example, if the user comes closer to the door that is being closed after the closing operation of the door is started based on the reservation information, there is a probability that the user has an intention to stop the closing operation of the door in progress. In such a case, continuing the closing operation of the door may be against the user's intention. Alternatively, if the user goes away from the door that is being closed after the closing operation of the door is started based on the reservation information, there is a probability that the user does not confirm that the closing operation is completed safely.
Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide a vehicle control apparatus that can appropriately stop a closing operation of a door of a vehicle according to a distance between a communication apparatus and a portable terminal.